If your organization is implementing a teleworking (aka
telecommuting, remote worker or distance working) model as a means of
reducing overhead, or if you require a method of directly connecting
remotely-located employees, equipping these people with broadband
Internet connectivity can be a challenge. Decide whether satellite
broadband is an immediate and suitable technology solution for your
organization.

Types of Satellite Broadband

Satellite broadband uses a satellite to connect customers to the
Internet. The connection may be a one-way or two-way connection.

One-way satellite, which is the older of the two technologies,
allows you to download information from the Internet at high speed via
satellite, but the satellite connection is not used to send or upload
the data. With a one-way satellite service, a telephone line or an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connection is used to upload the
data.

Satellite broadband is especially useful because it is accessible
by teleworkers, traveling sales representatives, or remote office staff
who don't have access to traditional high-speed services like cable
or DSL. If you want access to broadband satellite, you can get it
anywhere in the United States. Satellite broadband solutions also excel
in terms of file distribution, e-learning, and voice and audio
streaming.

Action Plan

Here are some things to consider before bringing satellite
broadband to your workforce:

1. Determine your immediate needs. Holding off implementation with
hope for future cost reductions and performance improvements may be an
option for your organization. Before you implement something that your
organization really doesn't need, ask yourself the following
questions:

* How advanced are your teleworking initiatives and does satellite
access need to be implemented immediately?

* Do you have a large number of users in your organization that
live or work in areas where they would have no access to broadband other
than by satellite? If your users are located in one of the 9.5 million
homes or small offices in the U.S. and Canada that will not get access
to any other type of broadband service for years, satellite could be the
only choice (source: Network World Fusion, February 2004.)

* Are your users accustomed to having broadband access, or could
they make do with dial-up?

* Would your users be doing the type of work where they would
seriously benefit from having a broadband connection?

2. Look at the types of available services. Satellite services
involve equipment and installation costs that can make them relatively
expensive in some situations. The reason that many companies have not
adopted satellite broadband is because of the cost of user premises
equipment and installation, plus the need for a telephone line or ISDN
connection for upstream transmissions in one-way satellite service. But
today, you can get two-way satellite service, or lower-cost one-way
satellite service. Consider the following approximate price guidelines
per user:

* Two-way satellite Internet services cost a fair bit more up front
and do not generally support phone services. Users would need a separate
service for telephony.

** Hardware (satellite dish, modems) -- $400

** Professional installation (federally mandated) -- $200-$350

** Monthly service fees -- $60-$80/month (source: Lonestar
Broadband)

* Since the market is moving toward two-way satellite, the older
one-way service has dropped in price. However, one-way service requires
users to maintain a phone or ISDN connection to request information from
the Internet. This additional cost needs to be considered. Also, as with
dial-up services, you cannot use the phone and the Internet
simultaneously.

3. Confirm VPN compatibility. Since the onset of satellite
broadband, there has been controversy surrounding its compatibility with
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Some claim the technologies are totally
incompatible, and others claim that VPNs simply knock the online
connection down to dial-up speeds, which defeats the purpose of
satellite broadband. You'll want to confirm compatibility with your
VPN in discussions with potential service providers. For example, one
vendor, Hughes Network Systems (www.hns.com), has taken the following
approaches to this problem:

* To eliminate the need for a remote-access VPN, Hughes began to
provide its accounts with dedicated bandwidth over a private network
connection, but customers kept pushing to use VPNs.

* Hughes then developed TurboVPN for its DirecWay service, which
uses an IPsec VPN in conjunction with acceleration techniques, including
spooling. The TurboVPN is currently in beta testing and is expected to
be finalized in the near future.

4. Keep your eyes on the standards. Since an industry standard open
interface is essential to compatibility and the future of satellite
broadband, ensure that your organization is ready to adapt because the
industry has yet to agree on one. Here are the standards in the running:

* Hughes Network Systems, with endorsement from the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) (www.tiaonline.org), is
rallying for the adoption of the IPoS (Internet Protocol over Satellite)
standard, and has lined up support for IPoS from several technology
companies, including Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft. No other
vendors are officially on board.

* WildBlue (www.wildblue.com) is taking a different direction. The
company is adopting an existing standard, Data-Over-Cable Service
Interface Specifications (DOCSIS), which is commonly used for cable
modems. This, according to WildBlue, lets the company lower costs on its
equipment, although customers will still have to buy an expensive
satellite dish to use the service.

* Created through the DVB-Forum, another standard, DVB-RCS (DVB's standard for Return Channel via Satellite), is also in the
running.

Bottom Line

Satellite broadband can be an effective solution for organizations
that wish to provide teleworkers with a reliable broadband connection.
Decide whether to implement it now, later, or never. Waiting for the
smoke to clear on a few issues might be your best bet.